“It is perilous to ‘devour’ one other”: Head of the UGCC warns Ukrainians against dangerous temptation
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, in a pre-Christmas interview with Espresso, answering a journalist’s question about how to build unity in Ukraine in the circumstances of war, warned Ukrainians against the dangerous temptation to “devour” each other, to project the energy of negativity and violence onto themselves.
На переконання Предстоятеля УГКЦ, українці всі разом повинні шукати відповідь на запитання про побудову єдності в умовах війни.
The Head of the UGCC is convinced that Ukrainians should all work together to find an answer to the question of building unity in times of war.
“War is a tragedy that leaves us all with a deep trauma. We all feel that the pain is growing. The first reaction to the crimes of the Russian aggressor is hatred,” said the Head of the UGCC.
He pointed to new levels of tension that are built on a personal experience of the tragedy of war.
“Neighbors do not understand each other after returning from abroad; a wife fails to understand a husband who has returned from the front. Those who survived the occupation and liberation sometimes feel that people living in the relatively peaceful western region of Ukraine do not feel that there is a war,” said the Head of the Church.
The Patriarch shared that priests observe one phenomenon that, according to him, should make us think seriously—sometimes, we look for a “scapegoat” to blame for our pain.
“It is perilous to succumb to the temptation to devour each other, to project the energy of negativity and violence onto ourselves. Together, we need to be aware that the trauma of war is a challenge that we must face,” said the Head of the UGCC.
“Numerous analysts and psychotherapists say that our gains and victory depend not only on the strength of our weapons but also on the ability of Ukrainians to cope with the consequences of the trauma that the war inflicts on all of us. The role of the Church, of those who are trying to be the kernel of consolidation of our society, cannot be overestimated. For our future depends on our inner ability to withstand these challenges,” added His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The UGCC Department for Information
